the president on entitlement spending. speaker boehner on upper income tax rates. speaker boehner, though, could not get conservative republicans to go along and seemed at a loss on what to do next. >> we can't cut our way to prosperity. we need real economic growth. many of us believe on both sides of the aisle on the fundamental reform of the tax code will help us get our economy moving faster and put more americans back to work. and more americans on the tax rolls. how we get there, god only knows. >> president obama, meantime, seemed to lose patience. no sign he's eager to go off the cliff, but he's also not ready, either, to get in his words, what he'll get for free when the bush tax cuts expire tuesday morning. democratic lawmakers, though, are more willing to let that and everything else happen and both sides are still pointing fingers. take a look at mitch mcconnell and harry reid just this afternoon. >> you'll excuse me if i'm a little frustrated at the situation. >> republican leader finds himself frustrated. >> i say i'm frustrated because we have been a